Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008

Table 4. Comparison of the characteristics of selected chemicals used as high-level disinfectants or chemical sterilants.

HP (7.5%)

PA (0.2%)

Glut (≥2.0%)

OPA (0.55%)

HP/PA (7.35%/0.23%)

HLD Claim

30 m @ 20°C

NA

20-90 m @ 20°-25°C

12 m @ 20°C,
5 m @ 25°C in AER

15m @ 20°C

Sterilization Claim

6 h @ 20°

12m @ 50-56°C

10 h @ 20o-25°C

None

3 h @ 20°C

Activation

No

No

Yes (alkaline glut)

No

No

Reuse Life1

21d

Single use

14-30 d

14d

14d

Shelf Life Stability2

2 y

6 mo

2 y

2 y

2 y

Disposal Restrictions

None

None

Local3

Local3

None

Materials Compatibility

Good

Good

Excellent

Excellent

No data

Monitor MEC4

Yes (6%)

No

Yes (1.5% or higher)

Yes (0.3% OPA)

No

Safety

Serious eye damage (safety glasses)

Serious eye and skin damage (conc soln) 5

Respiratory

Eye irritant, stains skin

Eye damage

Processing

Manual or automated

Automated

Manual or automated

Manual or automated

Automated

Organic material resistance

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

OSHA exposure limit

1 ppm TWA

None

None6

None

HP-1 ppm TWA

Cost profile (per cycle)7

+ (manual), ++
(automated)

+++++ (automated)

+ (manual), ++
(automated)

++ (manual)

++ (manual)

Modified from Rutala 69.
Abbreviations: HLD=high-level disinfectant; HP=hydrogen peroxide; PA=peracetic acid; glut=glutaraldehyde; PA/HP=peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide; OPA =ortho-phthalaldehyde (FDA cleared as a high-level disinfectant, included for comparison to other chemical agents used for high-level disinfection); m=minutes; h=hours; NA=not applicable; TWA=time-weighted average for a conventional 8-hour workday.1number of days a product can be reused as determined by re-use protocol2time a product can remain in storage (unused)3no U.S. EPA regulations but some states and local authorities have additional restrictions4MEC=minimum effective concentration is the lowest concentration of active ingredients at which the product is still effective5Conc soln=concentrated solution6The ceiling limit recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists is 0.05 ppm.7per cycle cost profile considers cost of the processing solution (suggested list price to healthcare facilities in August 2001) and assumes maximum use life (e.g., 21 days for hydrogen peroxide, 14 days for glutaraldehyde), 5 reprocessing cycles per day, 1-gallon basin for manual processing, and 4-gallon tank for automated processing. + = least expensive; +++++ = most expensive